Star
by Beautyhorse
Summary: She no longer believed in shooting stars. She felt as though they had betrayed her. Hurt her. But maybe they do grant you wish and it would happen when she least expected it.


**This is a story that I started writing a while ago and I hope you will enjoy it **** it's based on Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo.**

"Do you believe that the wishes you make on a shooting star come true?"

She wasn't sure what to answer. She did not want to ruin her dreams. She had long given up in believing in those things. She had tried so many times. It only led to her heart being broken over and over again.

It had been eight years since. Kotoko had majored in education and she now worked as a teacher in an elementary school. She had just told her eight year old students that on Sunday there would be a meteor shower. When Sumi; her student had asked the question she remembered that evening over eleven years before when she was listening to a radio show where people told stories about their love life. The DJ had told the listeners to wish upon the shooting stars that night. She had wished on one.

The next day was a rush. She had confessed to Naoki and was rejected. That evening her house collapsed.

She blamed the star. She believed that wishing on a star was bad luck. Every time she wished on a star, something bad happened. Most of the times it resulted in heartbreak and she didn't want that anymore.

She remembered the day when her father told her that they should move out of the Irie house as not to disturb Naoki's marriage to Ouzumi Sahoko. When she was walking home she saw a shooting star and acknowledged her useless wishing. That was when she gave up on Naoki. About two weeks later her father found a nice apartment that was close to the shop yet in the opposite direction of the Irie house. After they moved, she stopped going to Naoki's department. The one that she switched to was on the other side of campus and she never ran into him. She did however; hear about him from the girls in her department that were infatuated with him.

Kotoko had tried dating Kin-chan but things had not worked out for them. He had found a British girl who stalked him just like he had stalked Kotoko. (Maybe stalkers stick together.)He had finally given in and realized his feelings for her. They dated for three years before he proposed. They married half a year later. Their two children looked more like Chris than Kin-chan much to her disappointment and his relief.

After Kin and Kotoko broke up because she did not love him and he stopped loving her, Kotoko felt it better to close her heart. Not once in the past eight years had she fallen in love with anyone. Deep down she knew that it was because she was still in love with Naoki but she would never sdmit it. Her father and friends were slightly worried that she would become an old unmarried woman with five cats but Kotoko could not care less about getting married. While she wanted to have a child, she did not want to be a single mother so instead she focused on her students. They adored her and parents would often call to compliment her.

The following Sunday, Kotoko was relaxing on the couch in the living room going over the lesson that she had planned for the next day. She was so deeply immersed in what she was doing that at first she did not hear the phone ringing. Only after she finished reading her notes she finally realized that the phone was ringing urgently.

Chris's frazzled voice greeted her when she picked up. "Kotoko, you have to come over now and help us! There is a very big party tonight and we really need help because one of the workers in sick!"

Kotoko agreed and ran out of the house. If they called her, they must really need help. It was well known that the most that she could do was cut vegetables and do very basic things.

After her father had seen that he might not have a successor due to Kotoko having no interest in owning the shop, he decided to promote Kin-chan to a regular worker and he later became a partner in the business.

When she arrived at Fugukichi, her father immediately sent her to work to clean the tables. At about seven o'clock, a big group of well-dressed people came in. Many of them looked extremely rich and she even recognized some of them to be those of the elite.

As she went over to a table, she heard some people talking about the prodigy from Pandai. Kotoko recognized the name to be that of an extremely successful toy company. Her students often talked about the toys that they sold. Not only was this company popular in Japan, it had also reached international success.

When she moved on to the next table, she saw the apparent center of attention. He looked about her age and his face was neutral as people showered him with compliments over a video game that he had created. Every so often he would smile but Kotoko felt as though it was forced.

"Are you ready for the next course?"

Everyone at the table looked at her and some people nodded. When the guy looked at her, she paled slightly but not enough for anyone to realize.

There looking back at her was Naoki Irie.


End file.
